This is the decade of biotechnology and information technology. What I can see is that India has really taken off and the sky is the limit. But biotechnology is still a slogan. We have much to do to go beyond statements. There are lots of things that are incubating and are ready for industrial exploitation. India has indeed established a number of research laboratories in various domains with an impact on biotechnology. Very few of the leads taken by research have found expression in terms of industrial exploitation. Where is the gap? How can it be bridged? These are the points to be taken care of.

One small step that Shanta Biotech and Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad have taken really deserves appreciation and applause. They have invented a vaccine, which was needed for our universal immunization program against Hepatitis B, which not only protects us from a dreaded disease but also protects us from liver cancer. The price has fallen steeply because of the indigenous production of the vaccine.

Biotechnology is destined to play a role in every walk of life. As I said earlier I have certain interest in vaccinology and vaccine development for many years. Vaccines are the most cost-effective way to have god health and prevent diseases. What is more important is that it can even intervene in the body’s own function. In the coming year we will have vaccines for allergy, for opto-immune diseases, for fertility etc. There is a vaccine against the duodenal ulcer, which is focussed against one of the causing bacterial agent.

There is yet another thing, which happens in plants. That is - falling. In the case of vaccines, what you inject is not the effective agents, but it is the body, which produces effective agents to fight the disease. The immune system of an individual is genetically programmed. It is open to vicissitudes, stresses, radiation and even drugs such as those used in the treatment of cancer. They knock out the immune system of the human body.

Biotechnology helps in a big way in all this. What we can do is that we can make a recombinant antibody with the help of biotechnological research. This is actually being practiced in various laboratories. For example – mouse monoclonal has played an important role in revolutionising the diagnostics. The basis of diagnostics is the monoclonal antibody. Today we have the technology that can convert this mouse monoclonal into a human analogue. It is possible to clone the gene coding for the binding regions in a good mouse monoclonal with good properties. Biotech helps a lot in this process.

I also suggest that we must all use plants for making recombinant therapeutic antibodies, which are the best therapeutic approaches for the future.

We have been able to make a breakthrough in the case of sweet potato. We have
increased the protein content from a meager 3 percent to 12 percent.

I think there is no simple solution to this grave problem. This is a complex problem related to poverty. Poverty is here at the cost of hunger. And hunger, as Mahatma Gandhi said, is the greatest cause of violence. At least as agriculture scientists, we can use the power of science and technology and the creativity that we have in addressing this problem. 80 per cent of our people are involved in farming. We want to make a focused effort to uplift the farming sector, which is aimed at bringing more profitability. We do not have any dearth of scientists and technology. All that we need is a focussed strategy.

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